The Economy

I hear you. To each their own.

My grandparents had a river cottage in Beaufort County back in their day. Apparently, one storm seriously damaged the cottage, complete with a newspaper story and accompanying photos. And that was a river cottage. Obviously, oceanfront and other coastal property is subject to even more severe conditions and issues.

But, like you, trying to stay in the dash without making it a dash to the finish.

 

In terms of flooding, there is more damage in the river areas (Northeast Cape Fear and Lumber come to mind) than in coastal areas because that water has nowhere to go in those low-lying locations.

 

Thinking about the retail theft, and a few things come to mind:

1. I have no idea what goes on in San Francisco and similar areas. Stores can't expect local cops to investigate every instance of petty shop lifting. That's on them. Cities can't turn a blind eye to someone walking out with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise, especially when the store hands over video evidence of them doing it and provide the tag number of the car they drove away.

2. Stores can't make it harder for honest people like me to shop, or I'll just order online, thus harming the local tax base and jobs. For example, my wife wanted something specific from Walmart for her Christmas stocking. I went in, and the entire rack was full of anti-theft devices where you couldn't take stuff off the pegs without finding an employee, who had to fumble around to get it, then waste more time trying to get it out of the little carbonite box, then go to specific register to wait in line. No. Not worth the effort. (As it happened in this case, what my wife wanted was locked on the peg but just in the regular cardboard box, so I tore the tab off, went and paid at self checkout and was on my way.

3. Stores should be designed to where if you are leaving with merchandise, you have to be funneled through the checkout area. If you can't find what you want and leave through the main exit, fine. If you have stuff, go that way. I've never been a fan of receipt checkers, but there are degrees of that, too. If I'm walking toward the door with a box under my arm that I paid for in the back, sure, I'll show you my receipt. If I have a cart full of bags and clearly just left the checkout lane, get out of my way.

 

Some of that increase in shrinkage is attributable to self-checkout.

https://www.grabango.com/grabangos-...s-more-shrink-than-traditional-cashier-lanes/

Shrinkage at the Self-Checkout - Checklens

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/10/24/self-checkout-good-bad/71219910007/

https://www.convenience.org/Media/Daily/2023/November/14/3-Stores-Rethink-Self-Checkout_Ops

 

As for 3, that's where places need armed security. Ride in on a bike, ride out in a body bag. I have no problem with those type people being dropped where they are. They don't deserve a trial or incarceration.
We had an incident not long ago where some jackaloon went into a mom-and-pop pharmacy to rob the place. He pulled a gun. The 70-year-old lady behind the register pulled her own and shot his ass. Thus ended the robbery.

 

2. You are absolutely correct that I have no experience with those issues in major cities. I was more or less talking about Walmarts and Lowes type places in the rest of America. It wouldn't be that difficult to arrange them with "Enter Here" "Exit Here" areas. Most are very close anyway.
If the cities are letting people get away with smash and grab, again, that needs to be addressed by the citizenry and their leaders. If local officials won't do anything about it, elect/hire people who will. That's about the only thing I know to do.
Maybe there is something to locals being armed. I promise you where I live, if you go into any place of business and there are 4-5 customers, the odds of one or more carrying is almost certain.

 

There's also the option of simply not doing business there.

 

Which brings it full circle. If business leave and people can’t get daily necessities because of poor leadership, elect/hire people who will address the problem.
the only other option is to abandon the cities.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/19/target-store-closures-theft-and-crime-higher-nearby.html

In some cases, Target chose to keep operating stores in busier areas that had better foot traffic or higher median incomes, even though the locations saw more theft and violence, the probe revealed. In those areas, police departments may be better funded due to higher tax bases, and shoppers may have more to spend on discretionary goods.

Many of the locations Target closed were “small-format” stores the company opened over the last five years as part of an experiment to expand its footprint in dense, urban areas. The moves followed Target’s decision to shutter four similar stores in the spring that it said were underperforming, Retail Dive previously reported.